Stenciled Cinder Block Planter

We’re honored to collaborate with EcoScraps on this post, and were compensated for our time. All opinions and project ideas belong to us!

I love the idea of using Cinder Blocks as planters, and have seen some really cute ones out there. As you know I’ve been making an effort to ‘freshen up’ our front porch (that we never use, but is very visible from the road), so I thought it would be fun to add a cinder block corner planter to balance the cuteness from the Hanging Gutter Planter on the opposite side of the porch!

Of course it would be out of character for me to not add my personal touch to these otherwise boring chunks of cement, so I decided to use a handful of stencils from my extensive stencil stash to add some pattern and a punch of color… very similar to the Patchwork Accent Wall I did in the twins’ room!

This was a quick and easy process! But if you’re doing this outside, make sure it’s on a day when there’s absolutely no wind.

We have the profound honor to be working with a company called EcoScraps, and love that they recycle food scraps into organic soil and plant food. Truthfully this comes at a great time with my new resolution to ‘have a greener thumb’ and our efforts to up our curb appeal with pretties this spring. And it fits seamlessly with this DIY Cinder Block Planter project!

Isn’t that a hilarious video? Doesn’t it make you inexplicably want to be a better person in all areas of your life? What could be a better business model that reusing waste to keep it out of landfills in an effort to make sustainability more mainstream?!

We snagged ourselves a bag from Lowes, and got our hands dirty planting Azaleas and Pansies in our Cinder Block Planter! For the taller stacked areas of cinder block, we filled them in with bark mulch up to the top cinder block with a layer of landscaping fabric on top, and then added the last 6 inches of soil and a sprinkle of EcoScraps ACR mix (which is specifically for flowers).

Would you look at those Rhododendron buds (pictured above)? Cannot wait for those suckers to bloom! We’ll eventually plant her on the SW corner of our house. But for now, she’s looking all pretty in a pot. Even in just the few days since taking these pictures, the grass has greened up, and the trees are filled with leaves. I should have waited to take my pictures of my new Cinder Block Planter!

I made myself another half-circle wooden doormat and will be re-writing a tutorial for it soon! I made some changes to make it more durable, and took better photos this time. You can look forward to that!

Now that I know how inexpensive cinder blocks are, my head is swimming with different ways to use them. Like have you seen these benches made only with cinder clocks and 4×4’s? So innovative!

Have you been out and about playing in the dirt yet? Are you like me and trying to up your landscaping efforts this year? I’d love to hear about what you’re planting! And of course please let me know if you make one of these cinder block planters!

~Bethany

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Huge thanks to EcoScraps for collaborating with us on this project. We were compensated for our time, but all opinions and project ideas are 100% ours! We’re honored to partner with a company that is taking strides to make our world a better place. Just knowing that 40% of food is wasted makes me sick… that’s enough to fill the Rose Bowl EVERY DAY. Why not recycle it to make our plants happy?!

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About Bethany Sy

Bethany Sy is the creative free-spirit behind DIY/Lifestyle blog, Reality Daydream. She and her husband have been making their 117-year-old homestead their own, and love sharing tips and tutorials along the way. When they found themselves in the trenches of infertility, they started a journey that would prove to be their most important DIY project ever, and have 3 beautiful girls to show for it.

Hi! I love cinder blocks and made a smaller version of this on my patio. I used coffee cans with flowers planted in then to go in the cinder block holes. I am curious.. planting directly into the cinder block holes, when you water do you get mud from underneath? How do you replant each year? What do you do in winter? Thanks for the detailed tutorial. I would love to try it out the way you did them!

We have landscaping fabric between the layers of cinder blog, so I’m sure there’s lots of dirt that’s sifted through. But I haven’t moved this cinderblock planter since I put it there, so I don’t know what lies beneath. LOL! I pull out the dead plants before the snow falls, and then in the spring, replant with new perennials! 🙂

What a great idea, painting the cinder blocks .. I will try this! Very clever. Also, I am so glad to see that hgtv is expanding organic gardening .. and that video is very funny and gets the message across about composting and looking for organic products!!

I’m making the bench with cinder blocks in our son’s memorial garden. I bought this deep burgundy colored paint (clearance) and am feeling it is a bit too “cement block” looking. However, this stencil idea just might gussy it up a bit to make me feel a bit better about this project. Thanks for the “fantabulous” idea!

I definitely will. I need it to stop raining this week so I can get it done though. On a side note, I was drawn here by your stained dahlia. I sent you a PM on Facebook in hopes you might offer suggestions before I attack a monumental project (at least for me)…

Beautiful Beth! Love your color choices. I have some cement stepping stones that I have wanted to paint for a long time. You have given me the desire to get started. Your Rhodi is gorgeous. What color did you get? I just got a beauty at HD that has white blooms. I’m growing a few tomatoes and herbs in “straw bales” this summer. First for me. Watch my FB page for picture updates on how that is working for me. Have a great weekend. Vikki in VA.

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Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer's operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.